Barran Press - Monitoring Unit:
The visit of Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council President Rashad Al-Alimi to the besieged city of Taiz (southwest Yemen) has sparked widespread public and official reactions, marking the first visit by a top official of the internationally recognized Yemeni government to the city in 10 years.
Al-Alimi's arrival in Taiz was met with a massive public reception. Social media users shared images of crowds lining the streets, cheering for the first visitor of his kind to the city. The cheers were so enthusiastic that Al-Alimi even climbed onto a military vehicle to greet the crowd.
Barran Press has compiled a selection of prominent writings and comments about the visit, shared by politicians, writers, and activists on X (formerly Twitter), which generally addressed the significance and implications of the visit, highlighting the city's suffering and the need for its liberation.
A Historic Visit
Alwi Al-Basha Bin Zabaa, a member of the Yemeni Shura Council and the Arab Parliament, described the visit as a "historic" one, highlighting its boldness and courage. In a post on X, monitored by Bran Press, he praised President Al-Alimi for this visit, expressing confidence in Taiz, the city of revolution, republic, and its free people.
He expressed regret that "this war transformed the city of coexistence and freedom, the valiant Taiz, into the most dangerous city in Yemen, where army forces and Houthi rebel militias share parts of the city, with its streets becoming battlefronts and intermittent clashes for nearly a decade."
Bin Zabaa wished he could be "part of this courageous adventure," which he considered a "rare historical mark, even if it is at a difficult time and with great danger and risk." He hoped that "this visit will be successful, guided, and protected by God Almighty."
Vast Capabilities
Former Minister of Local Administration, Abdulraqib Fath, stated that Al-Alimi's visit to Taiz "revealed the vast capabilities of the local authority there, as well as the existence of local resources that can enable it to carry out most of the tasks required of it."
In a post on X, monitored by Barran Press, he added: "Therefore, this visit is crucial to rectify the situation of that authority, empower Taiz and its local authority to manage itself and provide it with assistance according to specific guidelines."
The visit marks a significant development in the ongoing Yemeni conflict, potentially signaling a shift in the dynamics of the war and raising hopes for a peaceful resolution.
People's Yearning
Yemen's ambassador to Morocco, Azzedine Al-Asbahi, stated that the crowds who welcomed the President on his journey from Aden to Lahj, then to Al-Hajaria and finally Taiz, "confirm the people's yearning for every step towards strengthening the presence of the state."
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), monitored by Barran Press, Al-Asbahi described the visit as "historic, restoring the luster to a city that has stood firm in the face of a deadly siege for ten years. A chant that confirms the path of belonging to Yemen, all of Yemen."
A Courageous Step
Writer and political analyst Yassin Al-Tamimi, in an article published on X and reviewed by Barran Press, asserted that "no one can argue with the historical importance of President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi's visit to Taiz, amidst a pressing security situation due to the presence of the rebels and their camps on the outskirts of the city."
He considered this visit "an extremely courageous step and one of the most significant achievements announced by the President so far." He explained that "such a visit does not represent a natural outcome of years of multi-party conspiracies that the city has been subjected to, to the extent that conspirators were able to turn it into a haven for the dregs of society, including jihadists from the dissolved security apparatus and remnants of the hired Salafi legacy."
He continued, "Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi is visiting Taiz today, and he has every right to be proud of this visit. Everyone around him believes in his role and appreciates him, and they have witnessed their governor contributing to the building of his role and his rise in the ranks of the state, starting from the position of the governor's security director, through high-ranking security positions in the Interior Ministry and the Council of Ministers, and finally reaching the position of President."
Humanitarian and National Dimensions
Hishham Bashraheel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 14 October Press Foundation, clarified in an article published on X and reviewed by Barran Press that the visit "carries significant implications."
He explained that it "is not just the first visit by a head of state since November 11, 2010, but it goes beyond that, being a crucial step in the path towards restoring life to a city that has suffered greatly from an unjust siege imposed by the Houthi rebel militias, without any regard for the suffering of its inhabitants, including children, women, and the elderly."
He stated that "this visit brings the spotlight back to Taiz, placing it at the forefront of national priorities after it was absent from the official agenda for many years."
He added that "President Al-Alimi will find in Taiz a steadfast people who cling to hope despite the pain. This visit will not be just a passing inspection tour, but an opportunity to experience the citizens' situations firsthand and understand their needs from the heart of reality."
He continued, "At this historic moment, Taiz expects its President to be a balm for its wounds and to restore its hope for a better tomorrow. This visit, despite its symbolism, can be a starting point towards achieving justice, lifting oppression, and rebuilding the nation on foundations of freedom and dignity."
He concluded his article by saying that "hope is still alive, and President Al-Alimi's visit to Taiz is just one step on the path to restoring the state, dignity, and freedom." He called for everyone to work "together to achieve this goal, and let us be one hand in the face of the Houthi sectarian, racist terrorism that threatens everyone and will not spare anyone."
Clear Presidential Weight
Writer Al-Tamimi stated that President Al-Alimi is "moving with clear presidential weight in the two main wings of Yemen: Hadhramaut and Taiz. Hadhramaut, with its geographical and demographic depth, and Taiz, with its demographic weight and geographical importance."
This movement, according to the writer, "harmonizes with Saudi Arabia's tendencies to act differently towards these two governorates, which are slowly slipping from the grasp of the competing and fierce regional player: the UAE, supported by the United States, after frantic attempts to control the governorates through the alleged war against windmills (terrorism) in Yemen."
The most important thing to focus on in Taiz, according to Al-Tamimi, is "to liberate the visit from its tactical goals and to weigh it down with strategic goals that harmonize with the interests of the governorate and its people, and with the goals of restoring the Yemeni state from the clutches of the sectarian rebels."
The visit marks a significant development in the ongoing Yemeni conflict, potentially signaling a shift in the dynamics of the war and raising hopes for a peaceful resolution.
A Gesture of Recognition
Political analyst and former diplomat Mustafa Naji deemed Al-Alimi's visit "the least that could be done to acknowledge the sacrifices made by a governorate that has relentlessly defended the national flag, Yemen's identity, and its Arab heritage from the taint of sectarianism."
In a post on X (seen by "Barran Press), Naji stated that Taiz stands "on the front lines against an enemy who has mobilized all the historical, geopolitical, sectarian, and regional grudges, employing the most heinous security and military tactics, along with siege and starvation, to subjugate it. But Taiz has not yielded."
A Momentous Occasion
Journalist and political writer Ghamdan Al-Yousefi described the visit as a "momentous occasion" for Taiz, as Al-Alimi became the first president to visit the city in over a decade and a half.
Al-Yousefi highlighted that the last high-ranking official to visit Taiz was former Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa in 2013, who spent a few hours laying the foundation stone for a cancer hospital in the Houban district, a project that was supposed to be funded by Qatar with $300 million.
Al-Yousefi's article further stated that "the visit comes as a balm for the city's wounds, after it was left to fend for itself with minimal state resources and presence. Issues arose that could have been avoided if the governorate had the support of a strong state, but instead, it endured a suffocating siege by a terrorist group that has no morals, ethics, or regard for people's right to live freely and with dignity. It also faced all forms of restrictions from partners in destiny."
He added that "the president faces challenging issues in this exhausted governorate, which has paid the highest price and made the greatest sacrifices in its rejection of the Houthi project. It has fought alone while all forms of support were directed towards other governorates."
The Return of the True State
Al-Yousefi's article highlighted Taiz's deprivation compared to other liberated governorates. He stated that Al-Alimi is aware of "these details, and when he returns to the city today, he is inaugurating a phase of the return of the true state. This visit should not be fleeting, it should be a breaking of the siege, a breaking of the stagnation in the relationship between the people of Taiz and their leadership."
He believes that this visit "opens a door of hope for the return of the state to the capital of the state's civilization," and that "state institutions will not begin their return except from Taiz. Anything else is just fragmented projects that will not succeed unless Taiz becomes a model to be emulated."
He urged the president and other political forces aligned with the legitimacy of the Yemeni Republic to "lead this model from Taiz. It is the least costly and easiest to manage. Otherwise, they will continue to blow into a punctured bag."
He addressed them all, saying: "Return the institutions to Taiz so that they can return to the rest of the country. What doesn't happen in Taiz won't happen anywhere else. You must try it, you've tried in other places and the efforts have been wasted."
Unity with the People and Hopes of Liberation
Journalist Ziad Al-Jabiri stated that "President of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi is in the presence of the city of resistance and steadfastness."
He added in a post on X: "This is a picture of the leadership's unity with the people, a good start that must be utilized and leveraged to restore trust and drive the wheel of development in this forgotten governorate over the past ten years."
Activist Sarah Abdullah Hassan expressed her hope that "President Al-Alimi and the Presidential Council will complete the joy of the people of Taiz by liberating the governorate, and move forward to liberate the rest of the areas and provide services to them."
In a post on X, she stated that "keeping things as they are now does not serve anyone except the Houthis."
On Tuesday morning, President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi arrived in Taiz, coming from the temporary capital Aden, in his first visit since assuming office in 2022. He was accompanied by members of the Presidential Leadership Council, Othman Majli and Abdullah Al-Alimi, and several officials. The visit was met with a large public reception.
In a statement to the media, the President said that his visit to Taiz was "an appreciation for the legendary steadfastness of its people alongside the armed forces and popular resistance in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthi project."
Al-Alimi stated that "Taiz will remain a pillar of the national project, a cradle of change, and a capital of steadfastness that it has demonstrated over years of unjust siege imposed by the Houthi terrorist militias."
He explained that his meetings with the leadership of the local authority, relevant agencies, and community leaders in the governorate will "always focus on strengthening livelihoods, improving services, and mobilizing all energies to serve the goal of liberation."